baqueira beret

A snowHead

Does anyone know if it's a good idea to ski in baqueira in february? I will be taking a group of 8, with two complete beginers so ski lessons will be nescessary. We were thinking of staying in the hotel de tredos and so would need to hire a car. As I know little about this resort please could someone who is familiar with it answer teh following questions.
Are there any english speaking ski instructors?
How easy is the drive up? snow chains nescessary?
What about staying in tredos and teh associated parking difficulties, ie does it cost to park in baqueira?
Are there any hotels that offer particularly good deals?
Finally, will it be overun with holidaying french and spanish as it's their half term week?

I am greatful of any help

A snowHead

Skiing anywhere in February is rarely the best idea, but look at Ski Miquel's website for Baqueira.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

unfotunately we have no choice as we have to work within school holiday times and I have exams after christmas and easter.

Also I have tried the miquelholidays website and found it useful, however, we want to go independantly.

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lapalma, Snow wise I guess it's as good as anywhere. It's an easy drive (2hrs ish) from Toulouse but you definitely want chains, just in case.

There will be english speaking instructors.

No idea re parking.

I would think it will be as busy as anywhere else at that time of year.

BTW, it's a very fine place to ski - if you didn't know that already.

Try the central accomodation agency...it's run by a friend of ours and they try very hard to be very helpful.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hi
i have skiied in Baqueira for the last two years but ususally go in the first week in January. Snow has always been excellent and it s usually pretty quiet, lift queues are pretty much non existent. There is an english speaking instructor that ski miqel uses. I don't think he is exclusively for ski miquel customers. This is a very 'spanish' resort- you actually have to try and speak the language so i guess a british instructor would be helpful. I might be able to find out their contact details if you are interested.

I have travelled independently but in a group so was not making the arrangements, but as far as i am aware everything has to be booked through the tourist information center and they weren't very good at replying to enquiries. I have only stayed in the TUC BLANC Hotel which I would recommend highly. Usually the accommodation includes lift pass when you book through the tourist office.

Transfer takes about 2 hours from toulouse, it seems pretty straight forward and the roads are good. There has never been enough snow to warrant snow chains. (the hotels are located down the mountain- you ride a chair lift/bubble to get to the slopes) I havn't stayed in Tredos, but i know there are ' road trains' that service the car parks to the lifts to go up.I don't know if you have to pay to park. On the last trip the tourist office organised a coach for our party of approx 8-9 people to and from the airport. It cost about 65 euros each for the return journey

My only reservation in your enquiry is that you will be taking beginners. There are several very good nursery slopes served by magic carpet and button lift but progression to the blue runs would (IMHO) be difficult. This is because I think the blues in Bacqueria are not much different to the reds! Also the main blue run down the front of the mountain (just to the right had side) has to be accessed by negotiating part of a red run. This is often one of the busiest runs which would be very intimidating for a novice. Certainly I know it would have scared the living day lights out of me if I had tried it in my first week of skiing but then again i am a complete wuss!! If your beginners are testosterone fuelled men you should be fine..If they are likey to be at all nervous I would say it 's probable they would not progress off the nursery runs.

Also it's a pretty quiet resort, most of the apres appears to be in the hotels, but that's in Baqueira itself .

Overall I really like the resort- i find the runs enough of a challenge to keep me going (but like I said, I am a wuss!) They look after the slopes very well and people are very polite and friendly. if you are very experienced skiiers you might find the resort too small but I think you can go heli skiing and there is a fair amount of safe off piste terrain

If you want any more info feel free to pm me!

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Thanks for the info, the steep blues won't be a problem for the beginners as they're my parents and wouldn't expect to progress of the nursery slopes anyway (my dad even has arthritis so might not ski). Regarding the language, I have a basic grasp of castillian which should be much better by the tine we go (as i'm doing it for A level), in fact I am looking forward to being able to use my spanish. The others though don't speak a word of spanish so might find it useful to go with an english company like miquel holidays. Alternatively I might try to stay at the tuc blanc, especially if the lift pass is included, however I do like teh look of the hotel in tredos. Ultimately the deciding factor will be cost. We will have to make some sort of a saving on a comparable holiday in Andorra/alps to justify going there.
Anyway, I'm certainly convinced, I've just got to prove to my parents, the ones with the money that it's teh best place to go.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

lapalma, "it will help with [better, 'it is indispensable to'] my Spanish A-level" should swing it with the parents. Very Happy

After all it is free

Ski miquel go there, although I have not ben to that resort, I have been to Bad Gastein with the same company and have nothing adverse to say about them

link - ski miquel

I've been there with ski miquel a few years back - didn;t take lessons so can;t comment on whether instructors speak english, but as has been mentinoend it's a very spanish resort and very few of the locals spoek english - I speak fluent spanish so was ok with my group as interpreter. Luckil José Moga who runs the best ski shop in town (Deportes Moga I think, but it's five years back now so I may be wrong) speak s very good english (at least as well as I speak spanish, but that may not be saying much!)

We too had to get a lift out of town to reach the snow, but normally I beleive the snow cover comes right down to the village and you can ski all the way back. Certainly after the blizzrda on our last day the centre of the village was covered in snow. However, the beginners who were staying with ski miquel were ferried over to the resort base at Beret as the beginners slopes there wer considered better - something you may wish to consider. I would expect the roads to be cleared and open but it's also a question of how willing you are to drive!

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

We will be fine driving. However, what Iw ould really like to know is if you have to pay to park in teh car parks. If there is a hefty daily charge driving might not seem so attractive.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

lapalma, email them! A level Spanish, you should be fine! Christ half my GCSE was based on all this holiday planning crap!

Help!!

baqueira beret

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